Lost Family Found
by loverunknown
Summary: Bella was born a lot earlier than we all think. And she's related to someone we all know and love. Meet Bella Marie Whitlock, and go with her on the journey of finding something in Jasper that she thought she lost forever. Cannon pairings. I've seen a lot of stories with similar plots, but none with what I wanted, so I wrote it myself! First fanfiction, so be constructive please!
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

_ I hate having nightmares. Tonight I was tossing and turning in my bed, trying to wake up from the terrifying vision of Daddy being a bad guy. I knew it was Daddy because he still looked the same. He still had the same hair and face. He was still really tall too. But he was different, because his eyes weren't the warm brown I always loved. His eyes were menacingly red. They reminded me of blood, and they did not have a very nice look to them. He was pale too. Usually Daddy was really tan, because we spent so much time together outside in the sun. He was always helping me learn to ride horses or something. But in this dream, he was paler than the moon. It was scary. What was scarier was that he was fighting with other pale people that had red eyes just like him. I was worried sick, because I felt like he was going to get hurt. And then, just as he was about to bite someone's neck, I started screaming for him. He looked up when he saw me, and then…_

I was woken up by two strong arms and a voice that kept calling my name.

"Bella! Isabella! You're okay; it was just a dream sweetheart. Please wake up Bella. Daddy's here" I heard the voice say. I opened my eyes and Daddy was holding me in bed, trying to send away my scary dream. I quickly hugged him back and started crying. He slowly rocked me back and forth and then he lifted my face up so I was looking in his eyes. "Would you like to tell me what your dream was, sweetheart?" I nodded and told him about his scary red eyes and the fight with the other pale people.

"Oh Bella, it was just a dream. It's okay. I'm here, and I'm never going anywhere."

I was six years old the night of that dream. Little did I know just how much my world was about to change.

...

My name is Marie Harrison, and I am 17 years old. But I'm not your average 17-year-old girl. My skin is ice cold and whiter than paper. My eyes are a liquidy topaz most of the time, but they darken considerably when I get a little thirsty. I have the power to influence a person's decisions with my mind. I have been pregnant for 141 years, but I have no baby bump. To an outsider, I am constantly considered inhumanly beautiful. That's probably because I'm not human. That's right. I am Marie Harrison, and I am what you would call a vampire. A monster.

I try not to be a monster, to not give in to this pathetic excuse for a life I have been cursed to. Most of my kind follow the myth of vampires and drink the blood of humans. But I feed off the blood of animals, and I try my best to keep the humans safe from other monsters like me. I have pretty good control over my bloodlust, and I attend high school every school year posing as a human. I move to small towns every few years or so and start over. Don't ask me what for, because I couldn't give you an answer. I have no friends, no lovers, and I don't even know where the man is who changed me shortly after impregnating me. I am completely and utterly alone, and I have been since my Daddy left for war in 1861. He was in the confederate army, and went missing when I was 15.

I was only 6 when he left, and he was so much more than just my father. He was my teacher, best friend, protector, and my constant companion. We had such a special bond that I can faintly remember Momma being jealous all those years ago. I can barely remember my mother. She died two years after Dad, and I'm surprised she held on that long. She sunk into a deep depression when he died, and that's when I began to take care of myself. When she died of a broken heart, I just remember her telling me she knew I'd be all right without her. Then we held each other quietly as she drew her last shaky breath. I loved my mother, but the pain remembered from her death is nothing compared to the heartbreaking feeling that shoots through my unbeating heart each time I remember my father.

I let out a deep sigh as I completed the drive into my newest hometown: Forks, Washington. I found the lonely street where I was renting a small cottage and pulled into the property. It was next to a large forest, and I could already smell the sweet blood of elk, my favorite delicacy. I suddenly felt my stomach flutter, and I knew my precious little fetus was kicking again. The baby that could not be born did this whenever I needed to hunt. I looked in my mirror and the color of my eyes confirmed that I needed blood. I decided to get settled into my new home and then go hunting. It wouldn't take long to unpack, because I only had 2 boxes I felt were worth carting around from home to home. One contained the small amount of clothes I especially enjoyed, and the other was quite a bit dearer to my heart. The second box contained every little trinket, every memory associated with Daddy before he died. Old letters, birthday presents, and even old dresses he used to love me in. They were all carried to each home I traveled to. I couldn't bear to part with them. How could I dishonor his memory like that? I loved my dad. He was the most wonderful man I had ever come across in my 158 years. He was everything to me. He was Jasper Whitlock, and I loved him.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

After I unpacked my few items and looked around the house, I discovered the small cottage to be to my liking. It was simple but charming. It didn't have a huge amount of furniture, but it would suffice. I didn't need much, and I had a large sum of money tucked away if I felt the need to splurge on anything.

I left the house quickly as the burning in my throat became prominent. And I had to admit, it was always fun to explore new territory. As soon as I was out of the door, I let my instincts take over and followed the delicious scent of elk I had smelled earlier. I soon found a group of them and drank them without hesitation. I could practically feel my eyes turning golden again. I was just finishing up the last of the elk when I noticed a new scent. It wasn't a scent that I recognized, but I could tell it was getting closer. So I hid up in a nearby tree until the animal emerged. I felt somewhat silly, hiding from some animal. But I couldn't help but being caught off guard, for it wasn't often that I was unable to determine the identity of a scent. I heard a branch crunch underneath the feet of whatever creature was coming towards me, and I focused on the spot I had heard the noise. I froze when I realized what I was seeing.

The creature I was hiding from wasn't any animal I could drink from. It was a vampire. I had very rarely run into others of our kind, and I had never been around them in a permanent residence. I carefully examined the vampire. He was hugely tall, scarily muscular, and he wore a goofy grin that took away all frightening pretenses the first two characteristics would lead you to believe. I got the impression that he was a huge teddy bear that would just be the epitome of fun to hang out with. I made sure to hold my breath as I heard him speak.

"Rosie, I promise I smelled something baby. It smelled like another vampire. It's still here." I watched in terror as a strikingly gorgeous blonde vampire waltzed up behind him. She looked around the area in the forest and turned to the man.

"Emmett, I believe you. I smell it too. But they aren't coming out quite yet, wherever they are. We'll just have to tell the others to be on guard." _Others? How many were there in this coven? And their eyes are golden like mine… They must be of the same diet. I'll have to investigate further later. Now I just have to them out of here. _I quickly decided that they had to leave, and they unsurprisingly followed suit. I didn't take a breath of relief until their scent had completely disappeared, thanking God for my gift of mental manipulation. Fear seized me as soon as I was alone, and I climbed out of the tree. I have apparently been hunting on someone else's territory, and I wasn't sure how forgiving they'd be. Now I'd have to find entire new hunting grounds.

I ran home quickly before I had any other encounters with this other coven. _But if they had topaz eyes like me, surely they couldn't be that bad? Surely we at least shared the same value of human life? _The little voice inside of me argued that I should get to know them, but my better half knew it was best to leave it. It was no use to try and get tangled up in dramatic friendships. All they would end in is disappointment. I'm a monster anyway. No use trying to cover it up by fake friendships.

I collapsed onto my floor when I got home, and just rested in the corner of my small residence. I thought about the coven. I thought about starting school tomorrow as a junior at Forks High. I thought about my unborn child, and I rubbed my stomach in grieving adoration. I thought about the villain who did this to me. I thought about the monster that he had made me to match himself. I thought about what my dad would do to him if Daddy were still alive. I sat there, lost in thought of my dad for what seemed like all eternity until it was time to get ready for school the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: Hey guys! I'm so blessed to have you guys reading. I love reading the reviews, so keep them coming! :) Oh, and I've forgotten to mention that I obviously don't own twilight or it's characters. So don't sue me. :) Alice comes in during this chapter, and we hear a little more about the Cullens. Read and review!**

CHAPTER THREE

I had already started getting stares as I pulled into the parking lot. Much to my chagrin, I noticed that I had one of the nicest cars here at Forks High. It was rivaled only by a silver Volvo parked a few spots away from mine. I stepped out of my car and took a deep breath, preparing myself for the dreaded stares, hormonal boys, and awkward introductions that make up the first day of any school. I got my confidence together and walked quietly through the school, trying not to draw attention to myself. It didn't take me long to locate the front office and I got forms to be signed and schedules to follow. I glanced down at the first class on the list: Spanish with Ms. Gomez.

I found the class pretty quickly, thanks to my superhuman hearing abilities. I walked in, tried to ignore the gasps that I earned from several members of the male population and the glares from the females in the class, and got the teacher's attention.

"Excuse me? Ms. Gomez? I'm Marie Harrison, and I'm new here." I looked at the teacher and tried to evaluate her character. She had dark skin, deep brown eyes, and was slightly overweight. She had a very nurturing aura though, so I liked her.

"Oh, Marie, yes. I received an email from the front office that you would be joining us today. You can sit in the empty chair in the back there, by Mike." I turned to look at the spot she was pointing to, and tried not to groan as I saw the classmate who looked all too perky to be sitting by me. I nodded at her and was about to make my way to my seat when I heard her voice again. "Marie, are you perhaps related to the Cullens?" I shook my head no, and she quickly apologized and let me go to my seat without introducing myself to the class. Though she dropped the issue when I claimed to relation to whoever the Cullens were, I could see her still looking at me suspiciously throughout class. I made a mental note to find out who the Cullens were. That's when I heard the whispers around me.

"Oh man, she's gotta be one of those Cullens."

"I'm sure she's taken. Look at that body!"

"Ugh. She looks just like those sluts Rosalie Hale and Alice Cullen. Same pale skin and freaky gold eyes."

"She's not even that pretty, and all these guys are drooling over her."

It was the same thing I heard at every school except for the comments regarding my resemblance to the Cullens. Pale skin and gold eyes? Did the other coven of vampires also attend school here? I slunk deep into my seat as I considered that possibility. I didn't want to be in anyone's way, and vampires are really the only thing that could put me in any sort of danger.

The class passed by quickly enough, after I thwarted the attempts by Mike Newton to ask me out. He seemed like a nice guy, but he never got the hint that I wasn't interested. The bell rung and I went to my next class: Algebra II with Mr. Richardson. I walked into the class to get much of the same reaction from my classmates, including the teacher this time. I tried to not let my face escape into a mask of disgust as the male teacher's eyes raked my body over. I knew I was much older than him, but the low level of professionalism disgusted me endlessly. He quickly told me where my seat was, and I sat down at the empty table. A minute or so later, my partner walked in and sat down next to me. I was shocked to find that she was a vampire. I could smell it, and I could tell by her inhuman beauty. She was small, I mean really small. She was the tiniest vampire I had ever come across, and had black hair that she styled into fashionable short spikes. She wore a smile on her face that lit up the entire room and had an excited buzz in her eyes. She was dressed in designer clothing, head to toe. She must be one of the Cullens. My assessment of her character was interrupted when she spoke to me at a vampire pace.

"Hi! You're Marie, right? Of course you are. I'm Alice Cullen and I have the gift of seeing the future. So I totally saw you coming. There are 7 others of us, 4 of whom go here too! There's Carlisle and Esme. They're married and they act as our parents. Carlisle works at the hospital, and he has amazing control. Really Marie, he's never messed up once. Then there's Emmett and Rose, who are seniors this year. They're married too. Then my mate is Jasper, who is also acting as a senior this year. We're married as well. Then there's Edward, who's in our grade." She said all of this without taking a breath and I tried to process the overwhelming amount of information she had just given me. I know my I had accidentally gasped when she said her mate's name was Jasper, and she was looking at me strangely. I ignored the coincidence, and moved on. She didn't seem dangerous, so I tried to make conversation.

"Umm yeah. I'm Marie," I said, giving her my fake name. Technically it wasn't a fake name. Marie was my middle name, and Harrison was my mother's maiden name before she married Daddy. Nobody had called me by my real name since he died. Nobody knew that name. "I just moved here, and I'm sorry if I've disturbed your hunting grounds. I wasn't aware there were others here. I never would have trespassed if I had known." I scrambled, trying to make peace with this hyperactive pixie of a vampire.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, silly. We don't mind! There's plenty of animals for us to share! How many are in your coven?"

"It's just me… My creator and I no longer travel together." I spared her the gory details of why I actually ran away from my creator. He was a monster, and he cursed me to the same existence.

Her eyes got really wide as she realized I live alone, and I looked down in illogical embarrassment. I had nothing to prove to Alice. Why did I care what she thought of my living status? "Marie, you live alone? Please come meet my family today after school. I'm sure they'd love a new friend who shares our diet. You can sit with us at lunch today too."

I was about to refuse her offer, and then looked at her face. Her bottom lip was puckered out and her eyes were wide and pleading. She looked like a child who just popped their balloon. So I simply nodded to keep from laughing, and she squealed. She went on and on through the entire class about every member of her family, and I tried to pay attention the best I could. It was easy to be with her, despite her talkativeness. I didn't have to say much, just listen. The bell rang, and Alice asked me what class I had next. I looked down at my schedule, and it read: English with Ms. Freeman. She squealed again, something that was turning out to be a regular habit of hers.

"Edward has that class as well! You'll like him. He's single too." She added that last part while winking at me. As soon as she walked away, I panicked. James was the last male vampire I had ever been around. They were so capable of hurting me.

I quickly snapped out of it and just decided to try not to draw attention to myself from this Edward guy. Besides, I had my gift whenever I needed it. I usually didn't use it unless it was an absolute emergency, because it really wasn't fair for me to have the advantage over people like that. But I would use it if it were really necessary with Edward. I collected my stuff, my emotions, and took off for 3rd period with a small little pat to my belly, letting me know I wasn't alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Okay y'all... I know everyone has been waiting for Bella/Marie to meet two very special vampires. I couldn't wait to post this next chapter! Hope you all like it. Read and review! :)**

CHAPTER FOUR

As much as I would have liked to zone out as I drifted to my next class, I had to pay attention to find out where the class was located. Unfortunately, this also meant an encore of all of the comments people thought I couldn't hear. I was just about to give an unnecessary sigh of annoyance when I heard the most beautiful sound my ears had ever known. A laugh. A single laugh-not a crack-up or cackle, but kind of a vocal-smirk. I briefly looked over my shoulder to detect the source of the fascinating noise. I froze immediately when I saw the miraculous creature, who's face held only the slight trace of a smirk. Most of it was filled with annoyance. Still, it was breathtakingly, heartbreakingly, beautiful. I felt my stomach flutter as if I were human, and I couldn't tell if it was from my unborn child or nerves.

Standing before me was a tall, well-built, pale-faced man with eyes to match my own golden color. There was no doubt he was a vampire, so he held the usual inhuman beauty of our kind. But his beauty took it to a whole new level. I was about to stop staring as to avoid getting caught, but then I noticed his hair. _Oh gosh Maire.. Stop freaking out over some guy's hair. You are starting to sound way too much like the teenage girls that surround you._ The voice in my head told me to stop, but his hair! It was the most beautiful disarray of bronze my eyes had ever seen. This must be the Edward that Alice was telling me about. Another Cullen. It was then that his eyes met mine and I looked away at inhuman speed and walked into class, trying to avoid his gaze as I knew he walked behind me.

As much as I didn't want to embarrass myself further, however, it seemed that Ms. Freeman was determined to bring more awkwardness to my day by sitting me next to him. I took my seat and avoided looking at the man sitting at my right, or at least tried to, as his scent flooded my senses, which of course was irresistible.

"So you're Marie? Alice texted me about you… Sorry for whatever you had to deal with, she can get a little crazy at times. Or all the time. " He paused and rolled his eyes while I turned to him and offered a shy smile. "Allow me to formally introduce myself. I'm Edward Cullen. It's very nice to meet you Marie. We're all excited to have another vampire here, especially one who shares our diet."

I sat there for a moment, then realized he was expecting me to say something. "Yes, I'm Maire, and don't worry about Alice… She was entertaining at the very least. I'm also looking forward to meeting vampires of my kind. I've never been around others with my diet, but it sounds nice."

He nodded. "Yes, Alice mentioned you live alone. Please know that our home is open anytime if you feel like being social. Our "mother", he put the word in air quotes, "is very warm and maternal. She loves meeting new people." We continued the conversation for a few more minutes quietly before class was called to order, but spent a good portion of the class rolling our eyes at unintelligent classmates or smiling at a joke one of us had made under our breaths. It was nice to feel at home, like I already had a friend. It had been a very long time since I had any sort of companionship at all. I continued in this thought process until a thought had me frozen. _I can't let my guard down. No matter how nice he seems, he is a man. And this time, you're protecting another, not just yourself. _I patted my stomach self-consciously and remembered the life inside me. Some would say I was crazy, but I knew the baby was still there. I made up my mind. I would be nice. I would sit with them at lunch. I would meet the family, but I would never let it be anything more. I couldn't do that to little Whitney. I don't know why, but I always felt like the baby was a girl. I picked the name Whitney for my little unborn darling because it reminded me of my real last name. Of Daddy. Whitney Whitlock. I cringed internally at the thought of Daddy… No one would ever know that name. No one else knew she existed, apart from James. Not that he cared.

The bell rang before I knew it and it was time for lunch. Edward's voice shook me out of my thoughts. "Marie, are you ready to go? I'll show you to the lunchroom, everyone is excited to meet you." I nodded and smiled, then walked alongside the bronze-haired beauty to the cafeteria. We went through the line, bought our food for the purposes of pretending to eat, and were about to go sit down when Edward insisted on paying for the apple and salad on my tray. I tried to fight him on it, but apparently paying for a woman's food was important to him, even if it was utterly ridiculous because she wouldn't eat it. We walked into the table area of the cafeteria when I saw it.

Not it.

Him.

It couldn't be, I must be low on blood or something.

This has to be some cruel joke.

I couldn't move any farther towards the table Edward was trying to lead me to.

Then he looked at us, and we locked into eye contact.

I vaguely heard Edward calling my name, but I couldn't respond.

There, staring straight at me with a mixture of love and fear, was my father.

Daddy.


	5. Chapter 5

**I know, I'm updating a lot. But I'm assuming y'all don't mind too much. Heads up: I'm going out of town for a few days. I may not update much for the rest of the week, but I'm going to try! I'll probably be able to post one more chapter tomorrow before I leave. Enjoy! I update when you guys review! Tell me what you think! This chapter is a big one. Thank you dears!**

CHAPTER FIVE

_Is this really happening? I mean, it can't be him. He's dead Marie. He's been dead since you were 15. He's long gone. You're going crazy. Snap yourself together._ As much as I tried to deny it, I couldn't. My heart was torn.

The man standing 10 feet away seemed to be going through the same thing. People were starting to stare, but I couldn't bother to pay any attention to any of them. Finally, after what seemed like days, he took a small step towards me. With a quiet and broken voice, he called out a barely audible, yet hopeful sounding, "Bella?" I went into shock. Daddy was here. He was alive… somewhat. He was standing right in front of me. He was calling me Bella, a name no one has called me in years. 141 years, to be exact. I finally mustered up the courage and brainpower to respond very faintly.

"Daddy?" And that was all it took for him to cross the rest of the distance between us, never taking his eyes off of me. Then he took me in his arms for the first time since I was 6. We embraced and shook and silent sobs wracked both of our bodies, though the tears would never be shed. Then he finally pulled back a little to see my face.

"Isabella… You're here. You're alive… And you're so grown up now." He said as he stroked my hair. "You've become such a beautiful woman." For the first time, he looked away. He looked at the ground until he gathered his emotions enough to say, "But Daddy has never stopped loving his little girl."

"Oh Dad… I was so afraid when you went missing, and now I can't believe this is happening!" He held me in his arms for another minute or so until I heard a familiar voice.

"Jasper? Honey? What's going on?" Alice said, sweetly but a tad impatiently. I smiled to myself… I suppose patience wasn't something she was good at. Dad pulled back to face Alice, who I was beginning to realize was his mate. Huh. It was hard to picture him with anyone but Momma, but I liked Alice so far. And I wanted him to be happy. I was glad he had found someone to fill an empty void in his heart.

"Alice, though I believe you've already met, I would like to reintroduce you to Bella. My daughter." He looked at me proudly when saying this, while I looked at the rest of the Cullens. Each of them had dropped jaws, eyes darting back and forth from Dad and me.

"Bella? Daughter? I…" Alice trailed off, and though I didn't know her well, I was assuming that speechlessness was rare for her. Then she squealed. _Here she goes again._ "Oh my gosh Bella! Bella? Huh I always knew Jasper had a daughter named Bella because he never stopped looking for you, you know. Although I guess he'll tell you all about that later. Oh wow! A daughter! Now that I think about it, you guys totally look alike. Something in the face. I can't believe I didn't see you coming! So Bella, why have you been going by the name Marie?" She said all of this without taking a breath, and if we weren't vampires I would have been seriously worried about her… _He looked for me?_

Dad turned to me when she said this, and stated, "You've gone by your middle name."

"Yes." I simply responded.

"You've also been using your mother's maiden name."

I reused my previous answer. "Yes."

"Why is this?" He asked, not angrily. Just with curiosity.

"I sort of umm… adopted the rule that if you weren't there to call me Bella Whitlock, no one else could either." Daddy just smiled sadly at me.

He then whispered, "Well I'm here now Bella. And I'm going to call you that for the rest of eternity, so you better get used to answering to it again." Eternity. What a nice word it was becoming. Getting to spend eternity with Daddy? Making up for lost time? What could be better? I could definitely get used to being Bella again.

Before I could continue with this thought process, the vampire I assumed to be Emmett cut in for the first time.

"No way! You're like… her dad? Like biologically and everything?" Dad rolled his eyes at him and responded, "Yes Emmett. Biologically and everything."

"Well then that makes me you're uncle! Hi Bella. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Emmett, your dad's brother for the past hundred years. I can't wait to tell you about all the jokes I've been pulling on him for a century now." I giggled. "And this," he gestured to the beautiful blonde standing next to him, "is my Rosalie."

"It's very nice to meet you Bella. Now I think we're all wondering what the story here is… Why don't we sit down?" She pointed to the table with our abandoned food sitting neatly on the surface, remaining untouched.

We all sat down, Jasper and Alice on my right, and Edward on my left. It was then that I noticed that Edward had been quiet throughout that whole emotional exchange. I looked at him, and he was still staring at Jasper and I in awe. I gave him an amused look.

He quickly came into focus, and said, "Forgive me, it's just that I've been hearing Jasper's thoughts of his beloved daughter for the past century. I don't think either of us ever expected to find you."

My thoughts quickly honed in on what he just said. He was a mind-reader? _Crap. Does that mean he heard what I was thinking all day about his ravishing good looks? Does he know about Whitney? Is he going to tell anyone? _

However, my panic was apparently unnecessary because he quickly stated, "Yes, I'm a mind-reader. But for whatever frustrating reason, I can't seem to read yours. It's proving to be quite an annoyance." He gave an apologetic crooked smile that made my stomach flutter again. _Okay. He doesn't know anything. Yet._

Before I could ask any questions, Emmett looked at me excitedly and cut to the chase. "So Bells. How did you come to be a fellow Dracula?"

I froze, and tried to scramble mentally for an appropriate answer. I didn't know if I was ready to tell that story, and Daddy certainly isn't ready to hear it.

Thankfully, Dad saved me. "Emmett, why don't we wait until we are home to hear the story? I'm sure Isabella won't want to have to repeat it a million times, and that way Carlisle and Esme can hear." I was thankful to Dad for saying that, but he said it in such a tone that shut down anyone with the idea to ask me again. The way he said it proved me right, he wasn't ready to hear what happened to his baby girl. Imagine what he'd say if he knew his baby girl _had_ a baby girl. I looked up at him to find him looking down upon me worriedly. As if he knew something happened. As if he was concerned I was going to disappear any second.

I squeezed his hand reassuringly, and then continued in conversation with the rest of the table. I started to wonder about my father's own story. What happened when he went to war? Did he ever miss me? Did he ever miss Momma? When did he find Alice? I had a feeling I would be finding all of these things out very soon. Then the bell rang, and I was delighted to find that I had the next class, geometry, with Dad. Before he and I could leave to go to class, the rest of the family compared schedules with me. I found that I had my 5th class, biology, with the beautiful Edward. Then I had gym with Rosalie, and Child and Lifespan Development with Emmett. The family arranged for me to follow them home after school today, and then I would meet Carlisle and Esme. I was looking forward to that, but not necessarily the part where I would share my story. I guessed it needs to be done, but I might edit out some parts…

I just hoped Dad could still look at me the same afterwards… I hoped he was ready.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me a while to update, but like I said, I'm on vacation with family right now! This is a pretty long chapter though, and a pretty big one because we learn Bella's story. So I hope this makes up for it! Read and review! I love y'all! Thank you for everything!**

CHAPTER SIX

Most of my school day went by without much more incidents. I mean, how much more dramatic could it get then finding out your real father was still alive and you were finally being reunited after a century and a half? There were a lot of stares and whispers about the Cullens and I, but nothing I was incapable of handling. Dad's reaction was pretty intense however; at least to the male attention I was receiving. Not that he had anything to worry about of course, but he got noticeably more stiff and closer to me whenever some guy made a comment about me that they thought I wouldn't hear. However unnecessary it was, it was kind of amusing to watch.

Even though I was having fun reconnecting with Daddy, and I was still kind of in shock about the whole thing, my nerves were getting ridiculous. I didn't know what to tell the family after school, and I didn't know how they would react. Would they push me away? Would they be completely and utterly disgusted? I don't know if I could handle losing Dad a second time.

And then there was Edward. I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get his smile out of my head, or his laugh to stop ringing in my ears like music. I really couldn't figure out what that feeling in my gut was every time I thought of him. It was more than just the baby moving… It was anxious and strange and scary, but it felt good. Whatever the feeling was, I think I liked it.

My confusing thought process was interrupted when the final bell rang. I looked over at Emmett, who was already packed up and ready to go. He nudged me. "You ready to go meet the head vamps Bells?" I smiled weakly and followed him to the parking lot, where the Cullens had already figured out the seating arrangements. Alice and Edward were in his Volvo; Rosalie and Emmett in his Jeep. I was a little confused as to where Dad would be, and then he quickly scoffed at the idea of riding with Edward, when apparently wanted some alone time with me. Not that I minded him riding with me, not one bit. It would be nice to have him to myself, even if just for a short drive.

I was about to climb into the driver's seat when Daddy stopped me and opened up the passenger door for me. I was confused. I mean, I know he's the dad and all, but it _was _my car. I opened my mouth to protest when he quieted me by saying, "I'm driving. You've never driven to our house before, and I'm your father so I get to drive you whether you like it or not. I missed out on this chance too many times." He smiled. "Besides, it's only right for a gentleman to drive the lady." I sighed and let him be. If it made him happy, then I guess I could let him drive… This time.

We got into the car and followed his er… siblings to the Cullen residence. The drive there was beautifully strange. We laughed about old times, and looked forward to new ones. It was very emotional for both of us, but in a good way. We were both just so grateful to be in each other's presence again. But the closer we got to the house, the more my nerves built. Dad apparently sensed this, because he said, "Bella, relax. Everyone already loves you, and there's nothing you could do to change that. Especially since I'd kill anyone who said as much as once negative thing to you." He ended with a laugh.

"Who says I'm not relaxed?" I challenged.

He chuckled. "Well, Bella, I know you aren't relaxed for two very specific reasons. First of all, I'm your father. It's my job to know how you're feeling, no matter how long it's been. I know you too well. Secondly, I guess it's time to let you know my gift. I'm an empath. I can detect emotions around me, and I can manipulate them as well." Ah. I guess that would make sense. Dad was always very charming as a human, and very aware of others' feelings.

"What other gifts does your family have?" I felt a pang of sadness as I said the words "your family". I was no longer his only family. He had a new big family that he's grown close to over the past hundred years. He no longer needed me, and the family certainly didn't either.

Dad seemed to register my sorrow for the brief moment, but chose to let it go. "Well, as Edward told you at lunch… He's a mind reader. By the way, the rest of us love that he can't read your mind. It's driving him crazy." He laughed as he turned a corner on the road. "Then, Alice can see the future, but her visions are not set in stone. The future changes as decisions change. Those are the only 'special' gifts of the family, except for yours of course if you have one. Do you?"

It took me a moment to respond, because I was so touched at the way he immediately counted me as part of the family without hesitation. I knew I was his family, but I was so touched that he automatically assumed the rest of the family would agree. He looked at me expectantly, and I remembered his question. "Yes, I do. I have the gift to manipulate someone's decisions mentally. However, I don't particularly enjoy having that much power over someone, so I only use it if absolutely necessary." I wondered briefly if he would ask when it had ever been absolutely necessary, but he chose to let that go as well. It seemed that neither of us wanted to talk about the negative things that brought us to this moment, and just enjoy the time we had together. However, as he pulled into the driveway of the beautiful Cullen home, I knew the negativity was about to come to surface.

I hardly had time to admire the beauty of the building before I was embraced by two unfamiliar, yet friendly faces. One was the woman I assumed to be Esme, the mother of the coven. She hugged me with strong yet gentle arms, and I could easily see why she was so adored. She had a pale, heart shaped face, and long caramel hair that beautifully framed her delicate features.

"Oh Isabella, it is so nice to meet you. When Alice called, we could hardly believe it. Welcome to our home." She said warmly. A very handsome man, whom I assumed was Carlisle, then greeted me. He had a firm handshake, but his face was filled with nothing but love and kindness.

"Yes, Isabella. We are very glad to have you here. We already consider you as family, as you are to Jasper." I thanked him from the heart, and then politely told them that calling me Bella was just fine, even though I did find it strange to be called Bella again. It felt right. I was happy.

Esme quickly led me into the house, and showed me to the living room. I found the interior of the house to be eloquently decorated, and concluded that it was a talent of Esme's. We all made polite small talk for a while, and then Carlisle said, "So Bella, if you don't mind, I think we are all very curious as to why we're so thankfully blessed with your presence today. What is your story?"

I took a deep breath, smiled before beginning, knowing I might not smile for a while after this. "Well… it all started after Daddy left for war." I looked straight at Dad, knowing I wouldn't be able to look at anyone else while telling this painful story. I knew I had to tell the whole thing, because he deserved to know. "When he left, it was obviously just Momma and I. So we had a neighbor who decided to help us out. He helped in our fields, he made sure we had food, and he helped Momma a lot with me. I was 6, so I was a handful. Naturally, we trusted him very much. His name was James." I felt my heart break and my eyes grow distant, my mind taking me back to this time. I missed Daddy more than anything, but we were doing okay. Everything was relatively fine until we got word that Dad had gone missing. That was when Momma started to fall apart, and I either had to be independent or rely on James for everything." I paused to take in Dad's painful expression. He looked heartbroken already, and I knew there was so much to come. "I was pretty good at taking care of myself, but there were always things that an adult was needed for. Then when Momma died, James had full custody of me. I trusted him, and so did Momma. It started out fine. He helped me get over the loss of my mother, and he gave me space when I needed it. Then he changed. Suddenly he became very different around the time I was 16. He was gone longer, and he looked so much scarier. Now of course I realize, he had become a vampire, and was trying not to kill me." I looked at Daddy again to find a mix of emotions playing out on his face- anger, thankfulness that I had someone to look after me, and sadness, but overall love and understanding. "Then came the day that boys tried to start courting me. James and I hadn't been very close that year, but he immediately grew very possessive at the mention of any boy. I was 16, so it was the appropriate age for me to settle down and find a husband. But for whatever reason, James couldn't stand the thought of me belonging to any of the men who came to him, asking for my hand. He killed them all." My voice was dead and lifeless up until this part of the story where I knew it would get increasingly difficult to tell.

"One day, he came home from hunting and was in a pretty good mood until he asked what I did all day. I was too naïve to lie to him, so I told him the truth. That I had spent most of my day on the porch, drinking sweet tea with some guy who had come calling. His mood changed instantly, and that's when he grabbed me." I heard various gasps throughout the room, very shortly followed by growls especially from Daddy. "He threw me down onto the floor, and told me that I was not to talk to any of the boys that came to me. When he asked if I understood, my voice was apparently too quivery for his liking. He slapped me across the face." My voice broke a little, and I had to clear my throat before beginning again. "Then he told me I was too pretty for all those boys, and I had only one option as far as mates- him. Then, he raped me and ran away quickly after locking me in the house." I paused, and looked down. All I could hear was the increasing volume of Daddy's growls. Then he said through clenched teeth, "I'm going to hunt him down and rip him apart, bone by bone. Then I'm going to burn every piece of him pathetic flesh until he rots in hell."

He didn't speak anymore, because Alice was finally a tiny bit successful in calming him down enough to stop giving death threats. Everyone in the room was still growling though.

I wondered if I should continue the story, but I decided it was best to just get it over with. I continued, "I couldn't move or eat anything for a few days. I was in shock I guess. I didn't do anything but lay there and cry until I heard him entering the house a few days later. He came in, apologized profusely and helped me clean myself up. I thought everything was all right again, and then it developed into a cycle of sorts. Whenever he was mad, which was basically every other day or so, he'd rape me. Then he'd go hunting. It was just the way things were. After I turned 17, I discovered what I never thought could have happened, since I knew about vampires by that point. I was pregnant." Everyone in the room gasped, but I kept going. "I was so afraid and I didn't know what to do. So I told James, expecting him to comfort me or something. How wrong I was… He decided that having a baby was out of the question, so he bit me. He thought the venom would instantly kill the baby. Problem solved. Then, while waiting for me to wake up while I changed, he raped me one last time. I was so out of it that I couldn't even try to fight back. All I could do was scream at him in my mind to stop. That was the moment the change was complete I guess, because my power kicked in. I have the gift to manipulate actions through my mind. He immediately was flung off my body by some supernatural force, and I tore him to pieces. Then I ran away until I came to a safe place. I then realized I was thirsty, but it wasn't a burn in my throat that notified me. It was a fluttering of my stomach. My baby. See, the venom didn't kill my baby. It just froze her development-as it did to all of us. So now, the baby is with me wherever I go. She never dies, but can never be born. I love her more than anything, except for you Daddy." I looked up at him to see his face in shock. "I settled in a small town in Tennessee, and I've been moving ever since. I thought I was safe at the time, finally free from James. But when I tore his body apart, I forgot to burn the remains, and it seems that a female vampire had come across his body. She put him back together. Her name is Victoria. I received a phone call a few years later that they had found me and they were coming for me. Victoria apparently didn't mind her mate lusting after another. I've been running from them ever since, trying to protect my baby, but I haven't heard from them in a while. So it's just the baby and I. That's my story." I shut my mouth, closed my eyes, and waited for them to kick me out.

Everyone was in silence for a few minutes, until I felt Dad's strong arms circle me. He held me close and whispered, "Oh Bella, baby… I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to protect you. This is all my fault… I'm here now though sweetie. I love you."

I pulled back. "You mean you aren't mad at me? Not completely disgusted?" My jaw dropped.

His eyes widened and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Bella, you thought I would be mad at you? Disgusted at my own flesh and blood? Bella. You didn't do anything wrong. This is hardly your fault. If anyone is to blame other than that little pathetic _James_," Dad sneered his name, "then it is me. I'm the one that left for war, I'm the one who didn't protect you."

I shook my head. "It's in the past Dad. Besides, you didn't know. It isn't your fault. I'm just glad we're here now."

The other Cullens chose this moment to speak up.

"Oh Bella! We're so glad you're safe now."

"Thank God you're here now."

"Oh, a baby! The poor baby…"

"You've been very strong Bella."

"LET'S GO KICK SOME JAMES BUTT!" That last comment came from Emmett.

I looked over to Edward, who was completely silent for the second time today. He was shaking violently, and looked ready to kill.

"Umm… Edward?" I asked tentatively.

He just looked up at us and muttered, "I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I'm going to kill him." It was kind of scary, but also very attractive in a weird way. Emmett and Daddy immediately agreed with him, and then followed the rest of the bunch.

I did my best to reassure them that it was in the past, but I was once more overwhelmed with the amount of love this family was showing to a complete stranger, with the exception of Daddy of course. I felt kind of silly calling him Daddy, but I lost him at such an early age. I missed out on too many chances to call him Daddy, so I didn't think he'd mind it now.

Finally, he looked up at me and a smile slowly filled up his face. "A baby? Really Bella? I'm sort of like a grandfather?" This comment earned sarcastic teasing from the rest of the group, but he didn't care.

"Yes, you're a grandfather."

"And you said she? How do you know it's a girl?"

I smiled to myself. "I don't. I just kind of have the intuition."

"Does she have a name?"

I took a deep breath. No one else had ever heard her name before. But if I was going to tell someone, it should be Daddy. "Yes. Whitney. Whitney Jasmine Whitlock."

His face was filled with love and adoration. 'Whitney Jasmine Whitlock. Wow. I love it, sweetheart. Thank you for naming your precious child after me. After us." He paused. "By the way, I refuse to call you by the surname of Harrison. You are Bella Whitlock. It was a good name when you were born, and it's a good name now." I smiled and agreed. Whatever made him happy. Then he surprised me and turned to Carlisle with an excited look on his face.

"Carlisle! Do you think there's a way you could give Bella an ultrasound? Maybe we could deliver this baby?" He asked, hope evident in his voice.

Carlisle looked deep in thought, as if this was already something he had been considering. "Well, I'll do some research, son. I'll try, if nothing else." He smiled and looked at me. "If that's okay with you of course."

I thought about it. Never had I considered being able to have my baby. Sure, I'd day dreamed about playing with her. I'd fantasized about what she would look like. Would she look like me? Would she look like Daddy at all? Although it might depress me if she resembled James, I would still love her the same.

I nodded. "Yes. I'd like the chance to have my daughter."

"It's decided then. I'll begin research immediately."

Daddy cut in. "Bella, where are you living? It would bring me such great joy to have you live here with us. In fact, since I'm your father, and you are technically still a minor, I demand that you live with us."

I was about to protest, saying I couldn't impose like that, when the rest of the family jumped in agreement with my dad. Man, he really liked using the line "I'm your father." I guess he's missed saying it.

"Please Bella? We'll have so much fun! We'll set up a room for you and everything. Please?" I looked to Alice, who had the puppy dog face on. I didn't think I could say no to that. I looked over to Dad, and he was wearing the same face, except for his was more triumphant, as if he knew he'd already won. I decided I'd except the offer, and then opened my mouth to say it.

"OH MY GOSH BELLA YES! I have to go shopping for your room!" Alice cut in. Oh yeah. Future-seeing pixie. The rest of the family started to celebrate, and then Dad prodded me into picking up my few belongings from my cabin while Rosalie, Esme, and Alice went shopping for my room. I trusted Rose and Esme to keep Alice in check. I just hoped they could pick out stuff that went with my personality, and that they didn't spend too much. Edward volunteered to go with Daddy and I, and the girls went shopping. Carlisle and Emmett had to hunt. We all went our separate ways.

As I walked to my car with the two men following behind me, I was lost in thought. _I'm about to be alone in a car with my father, and the single most attractive man I've ever seen in my entire life. Oh crap! Can Daddy tell that I'm attracted to Edward?_ I looked over at him, and the annoyed look on his face as he looked in between Edward and I told me that yes. He very well could.

**Looks like Daddy Jasper is getting protective of his little girl! Do you think he'll be mad at Edward for liking Bella? Will he be upset that Bella likes Edward back? Will Bella find out Edward likes her? Tell me what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I am so sorry that I've missed a few days. Things have been crazy lately with family. Merry Christmas to all of you though! I love you guys! Enjoy!**

CHAPTER SEVEN

There I sat, in the passenger seat, giving Dad directions to my short-lived place of residence while Edward sat in the backseat, absorbed in the music I had playing. He seemed to like it, and I stored that information away in my mind. _Debussy, he likes Debussy._

Of course it was completely wasteful to have three of us here, when I only had two boxes of things. Not that either of them listened to reason.

Daddy wasn't saying anything, just holding my hand and squeezing it tightly every time I got jittery. I wondered if this was not only just his way of calming me, but also of marking me as still his baby girl. I obviously knew Edward would never feel anything for me, when he could have any girl he wanted, but Daddy without a doubt felt the attraction I was feeling. This might be him trying to tell me that I'm his baby, and his baby is not allowed to like boys.

I tried to relax into my seat and process everything that had happened today.

I went to a new school.

I found Dad.

I met an entire family of vampires who already were embracing me as their own.

I was moving in with said vampires.

I was irrevocably attracted to the only single one in the coven, and I couldn't quite figure out why. I had never been attracted to anyone. Like ever.

And to top everything off, they knew my story, and they wanted to help me with my baby. I closed my eyes and pictured what life could be like, would be like, if I had my baby. I would have a reason, a purpose. I would have someone to love, someone to cherish for the rest of my days. Everything would be so much brighter, and I couldn't help but think it was too good to be true.

Even if I couldn't deliver Whitney though, I would still have Daddy, as long as it was safe to stay here. If there ever came a point in time where James found me again, I would of course leave as to not put Daddy and the rest of the Cullens in danger.

Dad finally pulled into the driveway, and sat in his seat for a moment or two before moving to get up. I looked at him strangely, as Edward was already unbuckling.

"Daddy? You okay?"

"You live here? No. This is much too small. Thank heavens you're moving in with us."  
"Well Dad, it's a pretty good size for just one person to live. I don't need much."

He just snorted at me, and then got out to open my door for me. He stopped short, however, when he realized that Edward had beaten him to the punch. It was nice and I appreciated it, but Daddy certainly didn't seem to feel the same way. He quickly marched into the house with a grunt. I looked to Edward, who was staring after Daddy with an amused look on his face.

"What is he thinking?" I asked after a moment or so.

Edward looked to me and smiled gently before letting his gorgeous crooked smile fall into a smirk. "He's just going into soldier mode, thinking he has to protect his little girl and all. I don't think he much enjoys me being here and I'm sorry if you feel like I'm intruding, but I happen to be very glad I came."

I smiled and giggled a bit, feeling like a 10 year old little girl. "No, I like you being here too."

Apparently Daddy heard me say this, because we heard a loud growl coming from the entrance of the house. We quickly exchanged glances and hurried into the first room of the home, the kitchen. The room was empty, as I saw no point in furnishing a room I would never use. Upon seeing this, they moved to the next room. They kept repeating the process with confused looks on their faces until I informed them that all of my stuff was in the bedroom.

They both gave exaggerated huffs and followed me to my room, where I had two boxes already sitting there.

"This is it?" Dad asked. "What about clothes?" He looked to the closet.

"Daddy, my clothes are in that box." I pointed to the box on the left. "I told you, I really don't need much." After hearing this, Dad just got this look of immense concern on his face, and then informed me that he was going to let Alice buy a whole new wardrobe for me. _Great._

Edward spoke up. "Bella, if you don't mind me asking… What's in the other box?"

I smiled warmly, and opened the folds of the box in order to reveal the contents to the two men. Edward remained silent while Daddy immediately gasped.

"Bella, you kept all of this?" He let his fingers slide through all of our faded tokens of the past. He went through the dresses, the pictures, and even the locket he gave me before he left. Then his hands fell to one particular letter. He cleared his throat and began to read his own faded handwriting from many years ago.

_"My little baby girl,_

_ Tonight I write this with a heavy heart. I just put you to bed, _

_ and I can hear you safely sleeping in your room across the hall. _

_ Your mother and I have not told you yet, but today I was notified that_

_ I am needed in battle. I have to go fight for a while, and I leave in 2 _

_ weeks. I'll be back before you know it though, and I will think of you _

_ the whole time. When you get lonely, I hope you remember that I'll_

_ be missing you too, sweetheart. Daddy loves you, and I'll return soon _

_ to tuck you in at night after reading you a bedtime story. Don't ever _

_ doubt my love, for it will always be there._

_ If, however, something happens to me, I need you to be strong. Can _

_ you do that for Daddy? Take care of Momma, and of yourself. Don't_

_ forget me, because I'll be watching over you from a safer place. We _

_ will be together again someday, no matter what. _

_ I love you with all my heart, sweet Bella. You are my whole world. _

_ Daddy"_

He looked up at me and smiled. "I spent every night after that writing you letters."

"And they're all in that box." I pointed to the stack of yellowed parchment.

"Everything I said is still true, Bella." He pulled me close to him and stroked my hair. "Look, here we are. Together again, it just took a little longer than expected." I felt him smile against my head as I chuckled.

I turned my head and I saw Edward observing with nothing but respect and happiness for us. "That was a beautiful letter, Jasper. Who knew you could write?" He chuckled.

Daddy released me after messing with my hair and kissing my head, and then grabbed the two boxes. He carried them both to my car, and he didn't even flinch when Edward opened my door again for me. He was that happy to be my Dad again.

We rode home in complete bliss, singing along badly to each song on the radio. We all laughed and genuinely enjoyed each other. We got home quickly and I sighed in contentment. _Home._ What a nice word.

Daddy carried my stuff to wherever my new room was, while E dward gave me a tour of my new house. We went through all of the obvious ones, like the kitchen or living room. Then he lead me through Emmett and Rosalie's room, which was elaborately decorated. I then saw Alice and Daddy's room. That was weird for me, but I was amused to see Alice's taste everywhere. Then Edward took me past Dad's study, which he said no one was allowed in without permission, even Alice. It was his special place. I didn't mention that Daddy had already told me I could go in there anytime I wanted.

Then we got to Edward's room. It was beautiful, to say the least. Simple and elegant, but beautiful. What really got my attention was the giant grand piano in the middle of the room.

"Do you play?" He asked.

"Only a little." I didn't really want to mention that it was one of my greatest loves in life. I was sure he would find out from Daddy eventually anyway.

"I'd love to hear you play sometime." He smiled, and then leaned in closer to my face. The scent of his breath was so intoxicating. Between the sweetness of his smell, and the connection our eyes kept making, I could barely think straight.

"Likewise." I managed to get out.

Then I heard someone calling for me. "Bella! Come see your room!" I walked to the source of the voice, and followed Rosalie, Alice, Daddy, and Edward to my new room which was conveniently located across the hall from Edward's and Daddy's.

I took a deep breath and walked in. I was taken aback at how great they had managed to make it look in such a short amount of time. All of the furniture was black and white, with red detail everywhere. There were even candles scattered and a glorious chandelier. It had a king sized bed, with a black a gold Victorian styled comforter. It was perfect.

"Do you like it? Jazzy said you would. We'll paint it tomorrow, we chose a lovely musky gold color. It will complement the candles beautifully." Alice said.

I broke out into a smile. "I love it Alice, really. It's perfect. Thank you."

She predictably squealed, and the let out, "Oh yay Bella I'm so glad you like it! Tomorrow after we paint, we'll go shopping. Your father told me you had one box of clothes. How is that even possible? Don't worry, we'll fix it tomorrow." I barely had time to give my consent before she rushed everyone out the door, giving me time to "embrace my space" as she so cutely put it.

I could tell Edward and Daddy didn't really want to leave, but I didn't want to hurt Alice's feelings by asking just them to stay. So I just laid down on my massive bed for a while, just absorbing my day. Then, the nerd in me decided it was time to read, so I turned to the bookshelf that took up an entire wall. Then I realized there were no books. Then I saw a little folded up piece of paper. I grinned and unfolded it to read,

"_Bella, _

_You truly are my daughter, because you have inherited my love of books. I know you have your own books in those boxes, but I would like to welcome you to enter into my study at anytime. It is full of books, and I want you to pick any book you want. Any books you ever choose will be yours to keep, and you can fill up these bookshelves with not only books, but pieces of me as well. Edward has a collection I'm positive he'd be willing to share, but nothing would please me more than to provide for my daughter in this way. I love that we share this passion. _

_Sorry about Alice's shopping, by the way. She can be a little overwhelming at times, but I hope you can eventually love her. You are the two most important women in the world to me, and I would love to see you become close. _

_I love you forever. _

_-Daddy."_

I smiled to myself. Daddy had nothing to worry about, I already loved Alice. I was just standing up to make my way to his study when I heard a quiet knock at my door. Alice peaked her head in.

"Hey Bella, I was wondering if you had a minute? I'd like to talk to you about something." It was the first time in the very short time I'd known her that she sounded nervous.

**Oooo! What do you think Alice wants to talk to Bella about? What did you think of Jasper's notes? You'll be seeing more of old letters Jasper wrote Bella in the future. :) **

**Okay, so when I get 5 more reviews, I will post the next chapter. You guys can do it! Love y'all!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I loved reading y'alls reviews. Here is chapter 8. I hope you guys like it! Tell me what you think!**

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Sure, Alice, come on in." I said awkwardly in what I hoped was a sweet tone. She quickly shut the door and we both sat on the edge of my bed. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, Bella… It's just that… Well, I know we've only known you for a day. However, you are obviously really important to Jasper. He loves being your dad… He really has never stopped loving you." She paused, and I wondered where she was going with this. I nodded, and she continued.

"Well I know you had a mother in your human life. I'm not looking to replace her. But, you're very important to your father. And if you ever want a mother figure in your life, I'm here. I'll love you like my own daughter. I can be your sister and your friend, but I'm here for you if you want more."

I took a moment to process what she said. She wanted to be my mom? No, no, that wasn't what she said… She wanted to be a motherly figure in my life. Although I couldn't really picture calling the tiny pixie in front of me Mom, it would be nice to have that relationship. "That would be very nice, Alice… Thank you. It's good to know you're there. As much as I love Daddy, there are some places where a mom could come in handy." I thought about Dad… Surely this would make him happy. I smiled.

Her entire face lit up. "Really? Well I'm glad you feel that way. Don't worry, I'm not going to start acting weird around you or anything." I rolled my eyes mentally. As if her normal behavior was… well, normal.

I smiled at her and gave her a casual but meaningful hug. She thanked me again and left the room.

I thought about the conversation after she left. The Cullens really were embracing me as their own. Technically, I was Dad's own. But I never would have expected the rest of the family to be so welcoming. I hoped I wouldn't let them down.

I stood and went to Dad's study, across the hall. I needed a book. I was in the mood for a classic romance, maybe _Pride and Prejudice._ It was one of my all time favorites. I slowly opened the door, and stepped into the room with a full heart. I kept getting flashbacks of when I used to go out into the fields with Daddy while he worked. I wasn't much help, of course, but I always enjoyed seeing him so focused on his work. I got the same feeling now, even though he wasn't in the room.

I observed the scene around me. There were books everywhere. I mean everywhere. I felt like I was in heaven, especially when I looked around at all the cozy chairs and the fireplace in the room. I immediately began my search for the perfect book. I went through shelves and shelves, and I found about a million of my favorites, and a million more that I wanted to read but had not yet done so. I spotted an old copy of _Pride and Prejudice _though across the room, and I started to make my way to the book I came here for.

When crossing the room, I walked past his desk. There was nothing significant about the piece of furniture, until a framed photo sitting on it caught my eye. I reached out to pick up the picture, and I nearly dropped it in shock when I saw two pairs of my old brown eyes staring back at me. Daddy and I, when I must have been maybe 3 or 4. He was holding me in his arms and planting a sweet kiss on my cheek. We both looked so happy and carefree. I was in complete adoration of my father, and he looked just as taken with me. They say human memories fade, but I remember Daddy like it was all just yesterday. I was so touched that he had kept this picture, and kept it in a place that he saw it every day. I realized this was how he must have felt when he saw my box of old memories.

"Bella?" My head snapped up to see Daddy closing the door of the room.

"Oh I'm sorry. I was just getting a book, and then I…" I trailed off, and simply held up the old photograph.

He walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Bella, never apologize for being in here. What's mine is yours, you're my daughter." He saw what I was looking at. "Oh, I see you spotted my old favorite picture." He smiled at me. "You were such a sweet baby girl."

"I can't believe you kept this." I looked down at the picture and then back to my father's golden eyes. I smiled and my eyes were filled with tears I would never shed.

He smiled warmly at me. "Of course I kept it. Now open the top drawer of my desk." I furrowed my brow in confusion, but followed his directions.

My jaw dropped. Inside the drawer were pictures of me. As a baby, on each birthday, on Christmases, and other random occasions. Some he was with me in, and some he wasn't. "Daddy… Wow."

I felt his arms wrap around me. "And now you're all grown up and beautiful. But you'll always be my little baby girl, Bella. When I left for war, I took all of these with me. After I was changed, I always made sure I had them with me. No one else in the family has ever seen them, not even Alice. It was always so painful to think about how I lost you."

I nodded. I understood, it was the same reason I had stopped going by the name Bella. "Dad… How were you changed?" I had figured it was in his time in the war, but I didn't know the story.

He sighed and then took my hand. "Well baby, there was a lot that happened between me leaving and me meeting Alice. I did some things I'm not very proud of. Let's make that a story for another day. After all, we've got forever." He ended with a peaceful look on his face. I let it go. I would make him tell me eventually, and he knew it. But I didn't know what Daddy could have done so wrong. He was the best person I knew.

"So what book were you looking for?" He changed the subject and put his arms on his hips.

"I was actually making my way over to _Pride and Prejudice. _It's one of my favorites."

Daddy rolled his eyes. "Of course. Well, it is a classic." He said as he retrieved the book for me. "Well I was just going to do some reading myself. Feel free to take a seat and read in here."

I accepted his invitation and plopped myself down in a seat by the fireplace, which was lit and gave the room a relaxing ambiance. We stayed like that for a good half hour, just reading to ourselves and enjoying each other's company. Every now and then I would look up at him to find him looking at me in pure bliss. Like he was just so overjoyed to have me back. I was sure my face held the same expression.

I had just reached my favorite part of the book when I let out a little Alice-like squeal. Dad looked up at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Feeling romantic?"

"This book is one of the most romantic ones around. Of course I'm feeling romantic."

His eyes grew fierce. "Well let's just get one thing clear." He walked over to me, kissed my forehead, and his eyes gentled. "No man or vampire alive is good enough for my baby girl. Certainly none in this house."

This was one of those times that I was thankful to be a vampire. I knew if I were human, I would have been doing some hardcore blushing. "Daddy, I don't-"

"Bella, you do know I'm an empath, right? I feel attractions." He chuckled. "It's normal to be attracted to people, sweetheart. But I just got you back, and I'm certainly not ready to give you up to anyone. Especially him. Besides, as I previously mentioned, he isn't good enough for you." He smiled and kissed my forehead again.

I was disappointed that Daddy was so against me dating. _Wait… what? I didn't want to date. I didn't even freaking want to date! _Daddy was right. Attractions are normal. Healthy, even. But I did not want to date Edward Cullen. I absolutely did NOT want to date Edward Cullen.

Maybe eventually I'd convince myself.

**Wow! Looks like Jasper might make it difficult for his little girl to not be a little girl anymore! What do you guys think? And what did you think of her conversation with Alice? Tell me what you think! I'll post chapter 9 when I get ten reviews! Y'all can do it!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay wow! I got a lot of positive reviews, and I just want to thank you all! Your input means the world to me. I love reading what you guys have to say! There is one thing I'd like to address, though. Some of you were a little upset with Jasper because he didn't want Bella dating, and said Edward wasn't good enough. In his eyes, Bella is just a little girl still. He just got his baby back, and he isn't ready for her to date. He knows Edward is great, but he's just being stubborn and protective. Some of that will come out during this chapter. **

**This chapter is probably my favorite so far, and I can't wait to hear what you think!**

CHAPTER NINE

Around 6 in the morning, I looked out the window. I sighed. The sun was coming up, and that meant going back to school. I had just been in Dad's study reading this whole time. He had left a few hours ago, to go have his "private time" with Alice. I shuddered thinking about it. _I'm a big girl Dad… And I do not want to think about what you and Alice do in your private time. _

I thought about the day ahead of me as I walked to my room and saw an outfit on my bed with a note from Alice. It read, "_Bella, we'll go shopping after school today. But for now, wear this! Then come to my room." _Great. She probably had some makeover awaiting me. Just what I always wanted. I observed the outfit in front of me. It wasn't _that_ bad. I was sure Daddy had reigned her in a bit, for my sake. For that I was grateful. There was a black and white designer blouse, a red jacket, black skinny jeans, and red pumps. _Not what I would have chosen, but it's cute. _

I dressed quickly and then took my sweet time in making my way to Alice's room. I briefly considered just not going, and then I heard her yell.

"Bella don't you dare. Get your butt in here!" Oh yeah. The whole future-seeing thing would take some getting used to. I heard Dad chuckle at his wife, and I guess that meant I was going. I put on a smile and walked into their room. Dad was sitting on their bed, listening to music and watching gleefully. I shot a glare at him. He knew I didn't like foo-foo girly stuff. He just laughed. _Thanks Dad. _

Alice stood there, completely oblivious to the exchange between Daddy and myself, just clapping and jumping. "Bella! Okay so sit down right there, and I'll get started. We only have 30 minutes before we leave, so I won't be able to do as much as I'd like, but that's okay for today." She pointed to a chair in front of a vanity with all sorts of hair and makeup products, waiting to make a whole new me. _Because the old me was so last season. _I looked at the determined yet blissful look on her face and decided not to fight this battle today. I let her have her way.

I sat there and tried not to groan at every tug and pull to my hair, or every pat and press to my face. She blabbered on and on about how the day would go, and I tried to keep up.

"So people are going to be curious about what happened yesterday between you and your dad. Our story will be that you are biological siblings and you were split up. He was adopted into the Cullen family, and you were adopted elsewhere. Your adoptive parents are dead, so you are emancipated. After seeing Jasper, Carlisle and Esme have decided to take you in. Now, people believe Rosalie and Jasper are twins, so you are also siblings with her."

I thought through everything she said, and it made sense. Even though it would be weird to call Daddy by his name as my brother, it would probably provoke some strange reactions if I referred to him as my father.

"Another thing is that they know you as Marie Harrison. We will call you Marie in front of others, since it would confuse people if you suddenly changed your name to Bella Whitlock. So don't forget to respond to Marie."

I was used to Marie, so I wouldn't have a problem with that.

"Okay Bella! You're done, just in time! Look in the mirror." I opened my eyes and I was pleasantly surprised at my reflection. It wasn't too over the top, but the extra additions to my appearance looked nice. My long brown hair was down my back in soft curls, and my golden irises were accented with a deep brown eye shadow. I also had a simple coat of mascara, and some light pink lip-gloss. I looked nice, I suppose.

"Thank you Alice. I love it." I smiled up at her and she beamed. We then heard Edward and his impatient foot tapping from downstairs.

"Okay, we'd better go. If we don't he'll yell at us in approximately 7 seconds." Alice said quickly as we all rushed down the stairs in vampire speed.

Edward looked irritated and looked up at us to make some snide remark when his eyes caught mine. "I… uh. Are you guys ready to go?" He stumbled.

Alice smirked. Dad narrowed his eyes briefly. I simply smiled shyly. Alice decided to answer for us, since I was too busy getting lost in Edward's golden eyes. They were so deep, so full of emotion. There were full of curiosity, care, and some other emotion I couldn't quite put my finger on. Whatever it was, it was beautiful.

"Yes, we're ready to go. Stop hassling us Edward." Alice remarked. She then walked straight out to the garage. Daddy lagged behind, watching Edward and me. When Alice realized this, she not-so-subtly pulled him to her side, and practically forced him into the backseat with her of Edward's Volvo. I could faintly hear her saying, "Jeez Jasper. Settle it down, they haven't done anything wrong."

Edward and I finally got the hint and started walking to the car, side by side. He smiled at me, and then commented in his most gentlemanly voice, "You look very beautiful today, Isabella."

_Isabella…._ How did he make my full name sound so perfect? I was two seconds away from swooning, and I thanked my lucky stars once more for my inability to blush. "Thank you Edward."

As we approached the car, I noticed that Alice had saved the passenger seat for me. I quirked an eyebrow at her. _ What are you up to, little pixie? _She simply smiled, and I noticed Daddy had just settled for glaring at Edward and I. It didn't help matters when Edward so respectfully opened my car door for me. _I, however, do not mind at all._ I mentally smacked myself. What was I doing? I can't get swept away by some pretty face.

The atmosphere on the drive to school was tense. Alice was busied by her attempts at distracting Dad, but he was determined to watch every move Edward or I made. As uncomfortable as that was though, Edward and I seemed to escape into our own world. We both loved the music that was playing, and we sang along as loud and obnoxiously as possible. As purposefully off as we were being though, I discovered that Edward had a beautiful voice. _Oh, I love a man who can sing. _No! I don't love it. Absolutely not. I glanced at the man next to me. What was he doing to me? How was he turning all of my feelings upside down? What kind of sick game was that?

I sighed as we reached the building, and Alice dragged Daddy to class to privately reprimand him. Oh well. Edward had just opened my door when he asked me what class I was going to first. I told him it was Spanish, and he brightly offered to walk me there. Then he made me hand over my books for him to carry. Why did he insist on being so perfect? Didn't he know it was messing with me?

As we walked to my class, we received lots of glares from both genders. Girls were jealous of me, naturally. The most beautiful boy in the building was carrying my books. Then I suppose guys were jealous of him, but I couldn't imagine why they would be any more jealous than usual of him. I was nothing special. Not next to Edward Cullen, I wasn't. I ducked m head to look at the ground under all the glares.

Edward seemed to notice this. He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "You wouldn't believe what all these idiots are thinking."

I looked up at him and smiled. "Give me an example."

He seemed to consider this and chose his top three. "Well that guy over there," he casually pointed to the boy I recognized as Mike Newton, "just thought, 'Why is Cullen walking with my girl? I could take him.'" I laughed. The concept of any measly human "taking" a vampire was comical enough, but to think of being Mike Newton's girl? The concept was absolutely ridiculous.

"Yes… Mike made his admiration of me known yesterday. He's in my first class. Better watch out for him." I added with a joking grin.

Edward laughed heartily. "Oh, I'll certainly be on my guard." His face turned serious. "And if he does anything that makes you uncomfortable, I'd be more than happy to take care of that for you."

It was then that I accidentally made eye contact with Mike, and Edward responded to that by defensively putting his free arm around me. I giggled as he whispered, "Let's really stir him up. See how he likes this."

Newton's face immediately fell, along with several others on the campus.

We arrived to my classroom shortly after that, and with one last glare to Mike, Edward walked to his class in such a beautiful manner that it made me want to cry.

The class passed slowly, and I spent most of it trying to once more thwart the attempts made by Mike to ask me out. I was hoping that my moments with Edward this morning would keep him away, but they only seemed to make him more determined to win me over. _Good luck with that one, buddy. _Oh, if he only knew that I had the power to make him do anything I wanted. In fact, if we're being honest, I might have used an inkling of that power to get him to shut up once class started.

It was during my next class that I started to notice my baby fluttering in my stomach again. Time to hunt… _Hmm.. I wonder if Alice would let me out of shopping this afternoon so I could hunt. I bet I could sell it. _I looked over to her sitting in the seat next to me, and whispered under my breath so lowly that no human stood a chance of hearing.

"Hey Alice… How set are you on shopping after school?"

The look I got in response told me that she was very set. "Come on, Bella. After all the trying I did with your dad this morning, don't you think you can spare some time to shop?" Then she pulled out the puppy dog eyes.

I shook my head clear. "Alice, it isn't that I don't appreciate it. But I'm thirsty. If I go too long without hunting, Whitney starts kicking quite aggressively." I justified while I subconsciously rubbed my stomach, trying to sooth my unborn love.

Her look softened. "Okay, I'll let you off this once. Only under one condition."

I looked at her questionably. There was no telling what she would ask of me.

"Edward will volunteer to go with you. I'll find some way to restrain your father. You have to let Edward go, and then you have to give me all the details. Deal?" Her eyes sparkled with mischief.

I shied immediately. How did she know?

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please. It doesn't take rocket science to figure out you guys like each other."

It wasn't like she wouldn't know everything that happened anyway, but I agreed to the deal. It would be nice to be alone with Edward. I let my imagination wander for a while. I decided it was an excellent bargain I had just made.

"Hey Alice?"

She looked up at me.

"What do you see happening? What do you know? Has Edward said anything?"

She smiled a little too sweetly. "Oh Bella. I can't tell you or anyone what I've seen. What would the fun in that be? I've even distracted my thoughts around Edward so he doesn't know."

I sighed at her, and that was the end of the conversation.

My next class with Edward passed too quickly, and I found myself getting lost in conversation with him again. It was like we were the only two people in the world. The bell rang for lunch, and Alice quickly met Edward and I in the cafeteria, after he once more paid for my meal that I wouldn't be eating. She threw me a wink, and I took that as my cue to bring up hunting once we got to the table.

I sat down and looked around at everyone. Dad was immediately at my side, as predicted, with Edward on the other.

"So, Bella. Where do you want to shop after school?" Alice's question got the attention of the family. I supposed it was her way of opening up the floor for Edward coming with me.

I played up the act with her. "Well Alice, I was actually meaning to talk to you about that. I'm thirsty. The baby doesn't care for it when she doesn't get fed." I added with a hopeful smile. "I was hoping you might let me off the hook, just for today."

Alice acted disappointed. Daddy reacted just as expected by putting an arm around her for comfort. Her face brightened up within seconds. "No worries! I'll take Jasper!" She smiled while Dad grimaced. "Oh, but Bella… It's probably best if you take someone with you, since you're new to the area."

Emmett spoke up. "I'll take you Bells!" He was obviously completely oblivious to the situation.

Rosalie apparently, was in on it, because she put on some seductive face and turned to her husband. "Oh, but Emmett.. I had some plans for the two of us after school." She said while batting her eyelashes. When Emmett buckled under her loving gaze, she threw a wink at Alice and me.

"I'd be happy to accompany you, Bella." I turned to Edward, who looked nervous that I would reject his offer. _Ha! Even I'm not that stupid._

"I'd like that. Thank you Edward." I said, and we just sat there beaming at each other until I heard Daddy clear his throat.

I turned to my father, who looked apprehensive. "Maybe I should go too. Just to make sure you're okay."

Alice jumped in, "Jasper, she's been on her own for a while now. Besides, she'll have Edward there. She'll be fine!"

I mouthed a silent "thank you" to Alice, because Dad allowed himself to be quieted, although he still looked nervous about the situation. She winked at me.

In my next class, we had a sub, so it was basically a free day. Daddy and I talked freely, and I think it calmed him down a bit when I didn't dare to bring Edward up. Everything was back to normal for a while, and I had a stress-free day up until the final bell rang. Emmett and I walked out to the parking lot, and we stopped short when we saw Alice and Dad in the midst of a very heated conversation. Emmett pulled me into a corner where they wouldn't see us so he could eavesdrop… okay, so _we _could eavesdrop.

"Alice. I just got my daughter back. Why should I let her go off and be alone in the woods with a vampire she just met, that keeps making googly eyes at her? I feel the attractions they feel to each other. I'm not going to trust someone who feels such an intense romantic attraction to my daughter to take care of her."

I gasped. Edward? He liked me? No, that couldn't possibly be true. Emmett saw my reaction and snickered. "Oh silly Bella. It's obvious he likes you. All that gentleman crap? Puh-lease." I bit my lip, and he just started laughing again.

"Jasper, I understand that you're apprehensive. Bella will always be your little girl. But don't you think Bella deserves to be happy? After everything she's gone through, she deserves someone that makes her happy. Not that you don't, but she might feel lonely. Come on… Even if they just end up as friends, don't you think it would be healthy for her to at least have that? You're her father, I know you want what's best for her. You love her."

"I do love her, which is why I'm not going to let him hurt her. I wasn't there for so long, and now I can be there. She needs me, and there is no force on this planet that can stop me from being there for my little girl."

"None of us will let him hurt her, Jasper. She needs you, yes. But she might need him too. Just let them have today. If it doesn't go well, then we'll know that it isn't right. But just give them a chance. And for heaven sakes, stop glaring at the poor kids."

"If he hurts her…" Dad trailed off after that, hanging his head in acceptance that his wife was probably right. "He has one day to prove to me that he's worth a chance with her."

It was then that Emmett and I decided to make our entrance, acting as if we hadn't heard anything. Daddy was acting especially attentive though. He kept hugging me, and kissing my forehead. All of the other students had already left, so we didn't have anything to worry about. Edward and Rose joined us shortly, and we all took off in our respective vehicles. We drove to the house, and I dropped all of my school stuff off. Alice quickly dragged Daddy away to the mall before he could do anything to Edward. He was pretty on edge.

"Are you ready, Isabella?" Edward peaked his head in my room.

"Oh yes." I looked out the window before leaving the room. "Did Alice say what the weather was going to be?" The skies looked dark and murky.

"Yes, I believe she predicted rain." He held up two very expensive looking overcoats. "Alice gave me these before they left."

And with that, we took off. We ran out of the house, freely into the beautiful forest. I followed Edward, since he seemed to know where he was going. A scent of an elk very quickly caught my nose, and I followed the trail. Edward seemed to smell it as well, because he was going after it. We found a herd of elk drinking from a pool of water, and very quickly and painlessly took them out.

I had just finished taking out the last of my elk, when I looked over at Edward. He was enjoying his own, and I noticed how fascinating he looked when he was hunting. He was a completely different person, but still somewhat the same. He was wild and free, very manly in the way he just took control. It was kind of a turn on. Okay, it was definitely a turn on. Then there was another side of him that was completely gentle and caring, like normal. The way he handled killing the animal was beautiful. He put effort into making sure it felt absolutely no pain in death. I was beginning to learn that everything this man did was beautiful. He finished, and looked up at me. I couldn't quite tell you what was different about this time, but this connection our eyes held was so strong. Neither of us could break it, and I don't think either of us wanted to. We stood, and slowly walked closer to each other, never breaking eye contact. The air was quickly getting colder, and a loud crash of thunder broke as soon as we were inches away from each other.

"Bella…" He whispered. He reached out his hand to caress my face, and threw his arms around me in the softest manner possible. "You're so beautiful." As he said it, the rain started pouring. Neither of us moved. We couldn't hear the thunder crashing, see the lightning flashing, or feel the rain pounding. Our senses were entirely filled with each other. It felt like a dream.

"Oh Edward." I breathed.

And then it happened. Our faces drew nearer and nearer, until finally our lips touched.

**Ahh! It happened! What will happen after the kiss? How will they react? Let me know what you think! **

**I'll post chapter 10 when I get ten reviews on this chapter. Love y'all! Thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**You guys really came through with the reviews, and I really appreciate it! This chapter isn't as long, but it's still important. Hope you like it!**

CHAPTER TEN

Time stood still. The kiss was everything I never expected. It was pure, and real, and right. It was so charged with emotions that it almost overwhelmed me, but it didn't. It completed me.

It was innocent, yet filled with desire. It was scary, yet comfortable. It was a need, yet a want all the same.

I couldn't remember my name. I couldn't remember where I was. I couldn't remember what I had been doing up until now. I was completely and utterly absorbed in him. Lost in this blissful moment when all was right with the world, like a million little shining stars had all aligned perfectly into place.

Our lips moved together in a synchronized rhythm as if they were made for each other. It lasted for a perfect 3 minutes until he pulled back. He looked me square in the eyes.

"Bella? Are you okay with this?" He asked nervously.

I would have rolled my eyes had I not been so blissfully content, his breathing still jagged in my face. I responded to his question by throwing our lips together once more. He eagerly accepted my kiss and kissed me back, harder this time. We probably stayed there for 45 minutes, just making out. He planted kisses up and down my neck, and I did the same. He was so sweet about it though. So worried about my own pleasure, but manly enough to go for it. It was perfect. That was literally the only word that could accurately sum it up. We finally stopped kissing long enough to talk. He led me to a special spot that he told me he liked to go to think. It was the most beautiful meadow I had ever come across, and it meant even more to me that Edward shared such a special place with me.

He leaned up against a tree, while I lay across his lap. It was the most peaceful position imaginable. Our fingers intertwined as we talked.

"So… Bella. About the kiss, I want you to know that I don't ever want to make you uncomfortable. If you want to take things slowly, that's fine with me. But I want to tell you that even know I've only known you for a few short days, I'm in love with you."

I gasped. He picked up some flowers out of the ground and placed them delicately in my hands while kissing my hand. I could see he was nervous.

"Bella, I know what love is supposed to feel like. I've seen it with my family members. And it's the only thing that completely depicts what I feel for you. You're it for me. If you don't feel the same way, that's fine. But I need you to know how I feel. I'm never going to hurt you, or leave you. I'll respect you and treat you like the goddess you are to me. I love you." He looked at me apprehensively.

I realized I had been silent during his whole speech. I didn't know quite how to follow words that beautiful, so I just said the only thing that I knew to be true in that exact moment. "I love you too Edward." _Wow. Never thought I'd say that. Especially after such a short time. But I can't explain the undeniable pull I feel to him. I know it's love. _He beamed at me. "I love you, but I would like to take things slowly… if that's okay with you?"

He smiled warmly. "Of course, my love. Anything for you." He paused and looked deeply into my eyes. "So what would make you happy right now?"

I pretended to think it over, and then held up a finger as if I had just come up with the greatest idea. "I think I'd like you to kiss me again."

He grinned playfully. "Is that so? And what if I refused?" He said, even though his face was drawing nearer as he said it.

Mischief filled my face. "Well then I guess I'd have to do this." I then used my power to bring his lips to mine. He didn't seem to mind.

When the storm was letting up, we grudgingly decided it was time to go back home. He carried me home, and we were halfway there when he got a text from Carlisle. It read, "_Edward, please bring Bella back soon. I think I've found adequate enough information to get her started on ultrasounds."_ He read the text to me, and then checked my face for my reaction.

I was nervous. I was excited. I was terrified. I was thrilled.

"You ready for this, Isabella?" He said in a very concerned voice.

I nodded. "I've been ready for a century. Let's do this."

He laughed and carried me the rest of the way home. He set me down as we reached the door, which was almost immediately opened by one squealing Alice Cullen. We shushed her. We didn't want to tell everyone immediately. Lord knows what Daddy would do. She merely beamed at us, and we followed her into the house after one last kiss on the front porch.

Carlisle was waiting for us in the living room. He quirked a brow at us as if he knew of our new status, but he didn't say anything.

"Bella, I assume Edward has told you that we're ready to do an ultrasound?"

I nodded.

"Good. Oh, but before I forget, I got this for you." He pulled a shiny black card out of his wallet. "You're a part of this family now, so here is a card for you. There are unlimited funds. Don't ever worry about money again." He smiled warmly at me as my eyes bugged out of my head.

"So shall we get started?"

He led me to a table set up in a spare room, and tried to get rid of Edward. "Don't you think Bella should have some privacy, Edward?"

Edward looked at me and said meaningfully, "I'll go if you so desire."

I smiled at my love. "Edward can stay." Edward's face lit up the room and Carlisle merely chuckled.

"Okay Bella, if you could just lie down right there." I did as he asked, and then he lifted my shirt up just enough to expose my stomach. I looked at Edward, and his face held nothing but worry and concern. Carlisle then spread some weird, gel-like substance over my belly and got all his fancy medical equipment adjusted. A strange pulsing sound filled the room.

It was the most beautiful sound in the world. It wasn't quite a human heartbeat, but it was a beat nonetheless. Proof that I wasn't crazy. My baby was alive. He moved his tools over my stomach in various ways, and then he got a picture on the monitor. I think I was smiling so brightly that my face cracked. I didn't care. I just couldn't believe this was happening. Could life seriously get any more perfect? Carlisle pointed around different angles of my baby, and I really tried to listen. I just couldn't process more in that moment other than the fact that I was looking at my baby.

"Do you see that there, Bella? Do you know what that means?" He asked, unable to mask the evident joy in his voice. I shook my head. "It means you were right. It's a girl." He smiled at me.

Before I had the chance to vocalize my joy, Daddy burst into the room. "It's a girl? I'm a grandfather to a baby girl for sure?" He smiled breathlessly at Carlisle and I. It took him a minute to notice Edward in the room, who was smiling just as brightly. "What is he doing here?" He asked.

"Dad, can you just cool it for now? Just focus on your grandchild?"

"Of course, Bella. I'm sorry sweetheart." He kissed my forehead and didn't mention Edward's presence the rest of the ultrasound.

Carlisle talked in a lot of medical terms, so I really didn't get into all the details until he said the sentence I'd been waiting to hear.

"It looks like with some development, we might be able to deliver little Whitney Jasmine in about a month."

Daddy, Edward, and I all shouted in joy. Pure, unrivaled joy. I was touched that Edward seemed to care so much about the baby, and I found myself wondering if he would take on a fatherly role to my child.

I thought about all the things in life that would change in just a month. My baby, my miracle. My whole world would turn upside down once more, but I didn't want it any other way.

"What kind of development is necessary? Can we start now?" I asked, ready to get started.

Carlisle laughed. "Well, she needs some more nutrients. I strongly suspect that drinking blood will supply those, but the problem is that the animal blood you've been living off of hasn't been doing the trick. Luckily, I have a surplus of human blood stored from the hospital. With rest and monitored progress, it should give her just what she needs to be born."

And with that, I tuned out. My imagination carried me away into the joys of motherhood. Edward and Dad both immediately peppered Carlisle with questions concerning my health and safety. It wasn't something I was concerned about. I was having a baby. It was all going to be okay.

I honestly believed it.

**A lot going on here. Edward and Bella have proclaimed their love, and Whitney is making her appearance pretty soon here! I can't wait for her to be born, how about y'all? Let me know what you think, and I'll post chapter 11 in fifteen reviews. **


	11. Chapter 11

**I want to take this moment to thank everyone for all the kind reviews. They all mean so much to me. And I'd like to give a special shout-out to two of you: Decadenceofmysoul, and Twisted Musalih. You all have been so great, but these two have been reviewing and supporting me from the beginning of my story, when I thought no one would read it. Thank you each!**

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The rest of the night was rather eventful. After the ultrasound, Edward and I felt like we should let Daddy in on what was going on. I hated keeping secrets from him. We had all been sitting in the family room when Edward nonchalantly asked if he could have a word in private with Dad. I personally didn't see the point. _It's not like we won't hear everything anyway… Hello? Vampires! _Dad begrudgingly agreed, as he probably knew what was going to happen. Alice was squealing beside him, I was looking at the floor, and the rest of the family was just giggling.

Edward pulled him into the kitchen, shut the door, and then the conversation commenced. I knew Edward was nervous, but it was very sweet of him to be this gentlemanly in asking my father for permission to date me. We all hushed down, and heard Edward begin to speak.

"Jasper, thank you for speaking to me. There's something I'd like to talk to you about. As you have probably felt, Bella and I feel very strongly towards each other. I know she's your only daughter and you love her very much, but I will take good care of her. I love her."

Alice, Esme, and Rosalie all went, "Awww!" in the girliest voices possible. Carlisle chuckled, and Emmett went straight to teasing me. I played my favorite game, Pick a Spot on the Floor, and Stare. I was quite good at it.

Apparently, Daddy responded in his thoughts, because we soon heard Edward speaking once more. "I know that, Jasper, and I respect that. But you know me. When have I ever been involved with a girl? I wouldn't be doing this if I wasn't confident in my emotions, which are something you should understand."

He paused for another moment while Dad replied through his mind. It was pretty irritating, not knowing what he was saying. I'd have to ask Edward about it later.

"Jasper, I give you my word. You will never see me hurt her. If I ever do, I personally give you my permission to rip me to pieces and burn my worthless carcass." He paused, and then laughed earnestly. "The rest of the family can even help you." Another minute or so passed, and Edward's voice seemed to soften. "I love her. We're taking it slowly, but there's no use denying what we all already know. I love her, and I will be whatever she wants me to be, whatever she needs me to be."

There were about 3 minutes of silence before we heard Dad's voice for the first time. "Isabella, could you come in here?" He softly said. I quickly and nervously got up and walked to the kitchen, ignoring the cheering behind me.

I stepped in to the room, and tried my best to act confidently. Not that it mattered, seeing as Dad had the power to feel my emotions anyway. As if reading my mind, he looked at me tenderly. "Bella, don't be nervous. I'm not mad at you or anything." I exhaled, nodded, and looked up at him.

"Now as I assume you've heard, Edward here has proclaimed his love for you." I smiled, and even I could feel the love that reached my eyes at his name. "You have my permission to date, with a few rules." He looked at me and grinned. "You are my baby girl, after all. If I'm going to have to deal with you dating, I might as well have fun with it."

I looked at Edward expectantly, and he returned my glance with one of encouragement, love, and devotion.

"Rule one: If he ever hurts you, and I mean ever, you will tell me and I will take care of it."

"Dad…" I muttered embarrassed.

He ignored me. "Rule two: You will help and respect Bella as she goes through this new phase of life as a mother. We all will, of course. But you will be playing a special role. Rule three: Your physical relationship is limited, period. Lips on lips, hands on hands, everything else is off limits."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. _Whatever Dad…_

Edward, however, looked him square in the eyes and shook his hand. "Thank you, Jasper, for allowing me this chance to love Bella." He then looked at me and asked, "So Bella, would you do me the great honor of accompanying me tomorrow night to a movie and a walk in the park?"

I once more heard choruses of "Awww!" from the living room.

My entire face lit up and I couldn't even feel Daddy in the room anymore. I placed my hand in his as I responded. "I would love to, Edward. Thank you."

The door burst open, and in rushed Alice and Emmett. The rest of the family trailed after them at a more reasonable speed. I was embraced by 4 pairs of arms, and flooded by a million "congratulations".

After all the commotion had calmed down, Carlisle pulled me aside. "Bella, I have some blood and special vitamins ready. Are you ready to begin the process?"

I eagerly nodded my head, and he led me into his study. It was much different from Dad's but I liked it all the same. He handed me two cups. One was filled with a red liquid that was obviously blood, and human blood at that. It smelled beautiful. The other had some weird tablets in it. I looked at him questionably. _Would I get sick or something from these?_

He quickly shot off into some medical explanation of why they were okay. I think it was because they were going to the baby, and not me. But I could be interpreting that incorrectly. Who knows?

He told me I should take the tablets with the blood, and I quickly followed suit. The tablets didn't taste that great, but the blood… Was indescribable. The moment it was at my lips, it was like wine of the purest, sweetest kind.

Apparently Whitney liked it too, because my stomach immediately started fluttering and tickling. "Oh!" I exclaimed surprised, and looked down to laugh at my stomach.

Carlisle looked fondly at me. "Is the baby moving?"

I didn't respond, just placed his hand on my stomach. He smiled as the baby squirmed and danced under his touch. "We're all very happy for you, Bella. And we will all help raise this baby in the best way we can."

That led me to a question that had been on my mind for a while. "Do you have any sort of idea what the baby will be like? I mean, it'll be half vampire, half human right? Has that ever happened before?"

He sighed and sat down at his desk, as he motioned for me to take a seat on the other side. "If it has, we have no record of it. Based on what we know right now, the baby has a heartbeat. It isn't as strong as a human's, but it probably isn't as necessary as a human's. The baby will also probably drink blood, but it is entirely possible that she may prefer human food."

I wrinkled my nose. Human food? The smell of that would drive me crazy.

He laughed at my expression. His face then turned serious, and he got to the point I had most feared discussing. "As for the life expectancy, I would imagine it is a lot longer than a human. My theory is that she will live forever, unless there are injuries or incidents that occur that might be deadly to a human. This of course, is all theorization. We don't really know that much concrete information, especially since you've been carrying her for such a long time."

I absorbed that. So she had forever to live, as long as her life was sheltered from any danger possible? Would she resent that? I thanked Carlisle for the medical opinion, and then left the room. I almost went to my room, and then turned and headed instead for Edward's, where I knew he'd be.

He was sitting in his bed, looking at the door like he was waiting on my arrival. He saw me and held out outstretched arms to me. I ran into them eagerly. "How did it go with Carlisle?" He asked softly while kissing my temple.

I gave him all the details of the blood, the pills, and the discussion that followed. He asked if I was okay.

"Yes. I mean, I want her to have the best life possible. I'm glad I'm getting the chance to have her at all. We'll just have to wait and see what happens once she arrives."

Then we talked for hours on end, just daydreaming about what our lives would be like. He held me in his arms as we discussed what his role would be. He asked my permission to take on the role of the father in her life, and I couldn't think of anyone I wanted to father my baby other than him. He would make such an adorable father. We talked and talked until the daylight shone, and then I went back to my room to prepare for school.

Today there was another outfit with a note from Alice. "_Bella, I'm glad you got a boyfriend and everything out of yesterday. However, there are no excuses today! Put this on and we're going shopping after school. Love, Alice." _

I put on the outfit, but didn't go to her room for Bella Barbie time. I instead spent my spare minutes in Edward's embrace, dreaming of our child. _Our child_. What a nice sound that had to it.

**Looks like Edward is gonna be a daddy! What do you guys think? Hope you enjoyed! I'll update when I get 10 reviews on this chapter. Review, review, review! Love you guys!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys. I am so sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've had some family emergencies, but everything is taken care of. :) Love you guys. Here's the chapter!**

CHAPTER TWELVE

The next few days passed by slowly, yet quickly all the same. At school there was everything I expected- glares at my relationship with Edward, stupid teachers, stupid assignments. At home, I was quickly settling into my new home with the Cullens. Every day was a new adventure, and I was starting to feel more a part of the family.

Things were also progressing quite quickly with Whitney. Carlisle had me drinking the blood and taking the medicine twice a day, and then he would perform an ultrasound. He said everything was steadily progressing as it should, and Whitney would arrive in 2 weeks.

Edward continued to amaze me at his loving nature, and I fell deeper in love with him with every day that passed. He had also become steadily more worrying over me, and it was kind of cute… Okay, really cute. I had never been happier in my entire life, and I had been alive for quite some time.

Everything was wonderful. Yet there was always this nagging feeling that it was all about to crash down on me, like it was all too good to be true. A wonderful dream that I would soon wake up from.

Alice had been having visions. Nothing steady, just two vampires coming to visit. She couldn't make out their faces, names, or anything about them. Just that they were vampires, and they apparently were passing through at some point in the near future. When the visions first began, she approached Carlisle. He had assured all of us that they were probably harmless, and there was no reason to be worried. I still got nervous though. What if it were _them?_ What if they had found me? Just when everything was going my way? I tried to keep my worries at the back of my mind though, when Daddy was around. If he sensed my fear, he'd get all defensive and protective. As would Edward, and it wouldn't do any good for 3 of us to be freaking out like that.

So we went to school, lived our lives. We had just gotten home from school on this fine day when it started to rain. As dreary as it could be, I loved the rain. It was beautiful. I almost just wanted to go run in it… So I did. I grabbed Edward's hand as he helped me out of the Volvo, and took off. I was thankful I hadn't ripped his arm out of its socket as I took him with me through the woods. We just ran together and laughed, and then we reached a very special spot. The spot where we had first kissed, when it was raining then as it was now. I stopped as I remembered that moment.

"Edward…" I turned to face him.

"I know." And he kissed me right there, in our spot. Once more, the rain was not bothering us. We just felt each other, nothing but love and desire. The kiss deepened, and we grew more and more passionate. Things got heated, and I pushed myself closer to him. My senses were completely overtaken. I wanted nothing but to feel him, closer and closer. My body was throbbing in need.

"Isabella…" I heard him moan my name against my lips as he moved down to my neck. He pulled me closer to his body, and I responded by wrapping my legs around his waist. I ran my hands through his now-wet hair, and then up and down his back. I let out a few moans of my own.

I didn't care that we had only been together a week. I didn't care that I had wanted to take things slowly. I wasn't thinking about James, or worried about him hurting me. Everything was just… Edward. I needed this, to be part of him.

I don't know how, but he slowly broke the kiss. "Bella, we need to be careful. I don't want to move too quickly for you."

Ha! Too quickly? All I wanted was him to kiss me again. I moved in to kiss him, and I was stopped short when his phone vibrated. He read the text, then looked up at me. "The family likes to play baseball when it rains. Thunder is always our excuse. Apparently we're playing tonight. We should get back to the house to change." He smiled, then swept me up into his arms. With one last kiss on my temple, he ran us back to our house while I giggled in his embrace.

We got back to the house, dried off, and I went into my room to find my new baseball uniform ready for me to put on, sitting on my bed. Shocking. I started to remove my current clothing when I heard Alice giggle. I jumped, startled.

"Hi Bella! Have fun in the woods?" She winked.

"Alice! What on earth are you doing in here? If my heart weren't already still, it would be after that."

"Oh, Bella, stop being so melodramatic." She said, with an ironically melodramatic hand gesture. Her face turned serious. "Now there's a reason I'm in here. I have to talk to you about something." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I've been getting clearer visions of our… visitors. It's a woman with long curly red hair. A man with a blonde ponytail. They're looking for you."

I froze. They were here.


End file.
